Why Libs and Nats will get the Coalition band back together
Following the drowning of then-prime minister Harold Holt, John McEwen – the then-Country (as the Nationals were then known) party leader and deputy prime minister – vetoed deputy Liberal leader Bill McMahon from becoming leader of the party and country. 'Black Jack', who represented Victoria's manufacturing and farming interests, had reasons to dislike and distrust the Sydney solicitor, who toed Treasury's free trade line.
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Sydney Morning Herald
33 minutes ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
‘Frosty on Trump': Australians eager for more independence from the US
Australians are voicing a strong desire for the country to assert more independence from the United States amid Donald Trump's turbulent presidency, with most voters saying they do not blame Prime Minister Anthony Albanese for failing to secure a meeting with the US President. The latest Resolve Political Monitor survey of more than 2300 people, conducted for this masthead, found that most Australians continue to have strongly negative views of Trump six months after he re-entered the White House. Fewer than one in five Australian voters believe Trump's election was a good outcome for Australia. When asked whether it would be a good or a bad thing for Australia to become more independent from the US on foreign policy and national security, 46 per cent of respondents said they believed it would be a good thing, compared to 22 per cent who said it would be a bad thing. When compared along political lines, 56 per cent of Labor voters said they supported Australia adopting a more independent foreign policy and just 12 per cent opposed the idea. Coalition voters were evenly split, with 34 per cent favouring more distance from its closest security partner while 35 per cent said it would be bad to become more independent of the US. Since returning to the White House, Trump has imposed a 10 per cent tariff on all Australian goods, as well as a 50 per cent tariff on steel and aluminium imports. The Trump administration has also called for Australia to dramatically increase defence spending to 3.5 per cent of gross domestic product, while launching a review into the AUKUS nuclear-powered submarine pact. Since his re-election, Albanese has stressed the importance of Australian sovereignty and said his government would not commit to joining the United States in a hypothetical war with China over Taiwan.
The Age
33 minutes ago
- The Age
‘Frosty on Trump': Australians eager for more independence from the US
Australians are voicing a strong desire for the country to assert more independence from the United States amid Donald Trump's turbulent presidency, with most voters saying they do not blame Prime Minister Anthony Albanese for failing to secure a meeting with the US President. The latest Resolve Political Monitor survey of more than 2300 people, conducted for this masthead, found that most Australians continue to have strongly negative views of Trump six months after he re-entered the White House. Fewer than one in five Australian voters believe Trump's election was a good outcome for Australia. When asked whether it would be a good or a bad thing for Australia to become more independent from the US on foreign policy and national security, 46 per cent of respondents said they believed it would be a good thing, compared to 22 per cent who said it would be a bad thing. When compared along political lines, 56 per cent of Labor voters said they supported Australia adopting a more independent foreign policy and just 12 per cent opposed the idea. Coalition voters were evenly split, with 34 per cent favouring more distance from its closest security partner while 35 per cent said it would be bad to become more independent of the US. Since returning to the White House, Trump has imposed a 10 per cent tariff on all Australian goods, as well as a 50 per cent tariff on steel and aluminium imports. The Trump administration has also called for Australia to dramatically increase defence spending to 3.5 per cent of gross domestic product, while launching a review into the AUKUS nuclear-powered submarine pact. Since his re-election, Albanese has stressed the importance of Australian sovereignty and said his government would not commit to joining the United States in a hypothetical war with China over Taiwan.
The Age
33 minutes ago
- The Age
A target of Latham's disparaging messages, Abigail Boyd is directing her anger elsewhere
'This was a private message that he [Latham] didn't actually intend for me to see, so I have accepted his apology.' Instead, her anger is reserved for the premier. After passing the lower house with support from progressive crossbench MPs including Alex Greenwich after he moved amendments, Labor's bill has been blocked in the upper house thanks to a voting bloc comprising Coalition, progressive crossbenchers including the Greens and Animal Justice Party, and Latham. While this masthead previously reported the government had worked hard to lobby Latham to support its workers' compensation bill, Labor has sought to capitalise on the accusations against him by focusing on the Coalition for working with the former One Nation MP on amendments to the legislation. The amendments include changes to the definition of sexual harassment to include whether a perpetrator knew 'or should reasonably know' their actions were sexual harassment. Minns has urged the Coalition to 'cut that string', while Treasurer Daniel Mookhey has said the change to the definition of sexual harassment would mean a victim would have to 'prove their perpetrator deliberately wanted to hurt them'. Loading That, said Boyd, is an example of 'stunning hypocrisy' because it is Labor's bill that creates definitions of sexual harassment, bullying and racial discrimination that injured workers would have to meet. The bill has also been criticised by unions, in part because of what they say will be the disproportionate impact on female-dominated industries such as nursing from changes that would make it harder for people with psychological injury to receive workers' compensation. In a statement, a spokesman for Minns said the government 'totally rejects' the assertion its criticisms of the Coalition and Greens were hypocritical, and it was a 'belated political response from the Greens and Abigail Boyd after months of the government calling out Greens-Latham co-operation'. Minns' repeated attacks on the Coalition have raised eyebrows among MPs because of Labor's willingness to lobby Latham on bills and, in some cases, work with him on specific amendments to legislation. His description of Latham last month as a 'shameful bigot' following remarks made against anti-domestic violence campaigner Rosie Batty, independent MP Alex Greenwich and the Jewish community also came after the MP opposed the workers' compensation reform. 'I sat there and watched them trying to win over Mark Latham to supporting their bill,' she said. 'This idea that they won't work with him is laughable. If they had his vote, or if they needed it, we would not be hearing any of the criticism we are at the moment.' Boyd, who has long had an antagonistic relationship with Latham over her push for changes to the culture inside NSW parliament, met Minns in February last year to raise the issue of Labor's 'track record on dealing with sexism in the parliament' after becoming fed up with the 'permissiveness' of some MPs, including Latham. That included, she said, voting against a motion she moved to have parliamentary standing orders updated 'to require respectful behaviour in both Houses'. Labor subsequently supported the referral.
